Setting Up Your Paper
Margins, Indents
- Leave uniform margins of at least 1 inch (2.54 cm.) at the top, bottom, left and right of every page.
- Indent all paragraphs in the body of the paper 1/2". (Hit the Tab key once.)
- Indent notes (footnotes or endnotes) 1/2" (first line indent, like a normal paragraph).
- Use a hanging indent of 1/2" for Bibliography entries.
- Block indent long quotations 1/2".
Spacing
- Double-space the body of the paper with no extra space between paragraphs.
- Double-space block quotes.
- Single-space each note (whether using endnotes or footnotes) and bibliography, but double-space between each entry.
- Type only one space between words as well as following a period or a colon
Numbering
- Count title page as page one but do not put a number on it
- Number subsequent pages in the top right-hand corner
- Format note numbers as superscripts in the text
Fonts: CMOS does not specify a particular font. We suggest you use a readable serif font, like Times New Roman, 12 pt.
Title Page
All title page elements will be centered. Go with size 12 Times New Roman font. There is no page number on the title page!
About a third of the way down the page, write your paper title.
Go down about another third and write:
Your Name
Class Name
Date
Paper Body
In-text citations will use footnotes, not parentheses (see formatting examples on the other pages of this guide).
Otherwise, proceed with your normal paper-writing style: indent paragraphs, organize your ideas, use good grammar, and so on.
The paper will be double-spaced throughout -- everything should be consistent and match everything else, from title page through bibliography.
Bibliography
- Center the word "Bibliography" (without quotation marks) at the top of a new page
- Continue with numbering of pages.
Each bibliographic entry will be single-spaced with a double-space in between each entry. Use the hanging indent.
For examples, please refer to the other sections of this guide (Articles, E-Books & Books, etc).
